Electric-lamp cut-out



(No Model.)

J. H. ELPERING.

ELECTRIC LAMP CUT OUT.

Patented Mar.20, 1883.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. EIIFERING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC-LAMP CUT-OUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,297, dated March 20, 1883,

Application filed July 15, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. ELFERING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric -Lamp Uut Outs, of which the following, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric lamp provided with a cutout device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a like representation of a modification thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail showing an enlarged representation of the cut-out illustrated in Fig.1. Fig. 4 is alike detail of the modification shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 illustrates a modification of the cut-out shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

. Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

My object is to provide means for automatically cutting out electric lamps from the circuit when the carbon pencils are consumed to within a certain distance of the carbon-holder; and to that end my invention consists in the means, substantially as hereinafter set forth, which I employ for that purpose.

A represents the hollow suspending-rod.

B is the cylinder, in which is placed the mechanism for feeding down the upper or positive carbon pencil.

.0 is a rod entering the rod A, and which, in connection with a sleeve or thirnble, D, and a clamping-screw, E, serves as a holder for the upper carbon pencil, and F is that pencil. It is to be understood that the rod 0 is operated upon in such a manner by the mechanism in the cylinder B that the said rod will be moved or pushed downward as the pencils are consumed, thereby keeping the points or ends of the pencils within the necessary distance of each other while the lamp is burning.

G is the lower or negative carbon pencil, and H is a frameforsupportingit underneath the point of the pencil F.

I is a globe, and J is a shade, both of which may be applied in any well-known or suitable way.

K is a positive binding-post, and L is a negative binding-post, on the cylinder B.

The construction and operation of the parts now described are common and well known, and I have only referred to them thus fully in (No model.)

order that the operation of my cut-out may be the more clearly understood.

M is a collar projecting from the carbonholder D, and N is a strip of mica or other non-conducting material connected to the collar M.

O is a binding-post applied to the non-conducting strip N,'and a is a point in metallic connection with the said post. L is a negative-current wire entering the post 0 and in connection with the binding-post L.

P is a piece or strip of metal sufficiently rigid when cold to retain its form, and is fastened to the lower part of the holder D, and extending in close proximity to the carbon F. The piece P is so formed that some part of it will move under the influence of gravity when it is rendered flexible, in the manner hereinafter described. The location of the piece P is represented as being the same, or substantially the same, in all the figures of the drawings; but the form shown in Figs. 2 and 4 is somewhat modified from that shown in the other figures. A slight modification in form is also shown in Fig. 5; but, as will hereinafter more fully appear, such variations in form are, as I believe, immaterial, and I regard them all as legitimately within the scope of my invention. On the upper end of the piece P is a point, a, which I place there to insure good contact with the point a when the piece P becomes flexible; but these points are not absolutely essential, as the ends of a metallic circuit would be their equivalents, as willhereinafter appear. When the pencil F has burned up to or nearly to the lower end of the piece P, the latter will become sufficiently heated to lose its rigidity sufficiently to allow the point a to fall or move over to and against the point a, and the circuit will then be closed between those points, and will no longer pass through the pencil F. The lamp, therefore, will be antomatically extinguished at the proper time. The piece P, in the example shown, is loaded, as shown at b, to aid the movement'of the point a to the point a; but such loading need not always be resorted to for that purpose, though I deem it best to load the piece P to insure the closing of the circuit at the proper time. After the part I has become cold it maybe set back to its original position, where it will remain until the lamp should be again extinguished.

In the form of construction shown in Fig. 4 the piece 1?, when made flexible in the manner described, falls in contact with the lower pencil, asindicated by the dottedlines there shown, and the current will therefore pass from carbon-holder D through piece P to carbon G, thus extinguishing the lamp, the current then passing out in the usual way.

In the form of construction shown in Fig.5 the point (6 falls away from the point a when the lamp should be extinguished, the circuits being correspondingly arranged.

I will mention copper and platinum as suitable metals of which to make the strip or piece 1 although any metals having the qualities above referred to may be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with the carbon pencils and circuits of an electric lamp, of a flexible gravitating metallic cut-out device, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN II. ELFERING.

IVitnesses:

F. F. WARNER, H. FRANKFURTER. 

